APEX Insight: During Aviation Festival in London last week, APEX Media spoke with Ron Chapman, president of AS-IP Tech, about the low-cost in-flight connectivity solution his company has been developing for the past decade.

By integrating Bluetooth technology with low-Earth orbit satellites, Chapman says it’s possible to provide every passenger on a narrow-body aircraft with basic messaging and buy-on-board services using just one access point and antennas located in the aircraft windows.

AS-IP Tech has already installed the system onboard 70 business jets, claiming it costs around $25,000 and takes just five hours to install. Having tested the technology on commercial airframes, including an Airbus A380 and a Boeing 737, Chapman says the company is looking to have the hardware on a commercial aircraft within the next quarter.

Director of APEX Media, Maryann has been covering the airline passenger experience industry for nearly a decade. During that time, she has served as an editor, writer, sales rep, project manager and PR consultant in the #PaxEx space.